Chapter 22 - Clara Project : The Fight Against the Bull Together

At the cavern where the lights were not found, there was a loud roar from the strong hunter and beast, which intimidated each other altogether. As if the world's core itself was shaken, many punches and tackles resulted in a substantial impact that could be felt when one approached the void bull's nest.

It was a frightening battle.

Alc, still standing on his feet, had bruises all over his body. There was some blood, too, here and there, dropped a bit from his body. It was the same situation as the void bull, which seemed in lousy shape judging from its hide. It was no longer thick somehow because of whatever transpired here.

It had been three days without stopping since the hunter started his fight against the massive beast, and mostly all of the resources Alc's party had prepared had been all used. If this fight went longer, then there was a high chance that Alc's endurance wouldn't last. 

Every potion bottle has been used up. They also lacked the energy to do some healing spells, and the said spell's effectiveness was weak in the first place because neither Maya nor Aslana studied it more profoundly since they lacked talents on that part.

That's why Maya sent the magic mail behind Alc's back to seek help from any of their children. She was well aware that most of them would be busy since it had been a while for Maya or Aslana to hear the news about their children.

Except Clara. It was because their husband often visited his daughter in the town in an attempt to drag her back to hunt monsters. So, Maya hoped that maybe, just maybe, Clara would come here and help them somehow despite her displeasure against monster hunting.

"Aslana, how's our supply?"

"Only one potion left. We can only use it on one of us." Aslana answered back while catching her breath.

Alc's wives also weren't better. Both of them got bruises, cuts, and damage here and there because of the monster's ability to manipulate the void. The fatigue also hit them well, so it was a miracle that they could stand before the beast.

"Alright. Give it to me. You all go rest."

Aslana threw the last potion bottle to her husband, and he caught it smoothly, pulled the plug out, and drank it all. Now, Alc's body was brimming with more stamina and energy, which made him feel better. Some of the bruises and wounds were magically closed, too, so Alc could withstand some other heavy hits.

The void bull shook its head and grunted, showing discomfort upon seeing its hunter get more energy to fight again. It glanced at Alc with hostility.

It roared again with an attempt to tell Alc to stand down, yet it was a futile attempt.

"Could you zip your mouth and stop trying to fight back? No prey ever lived when I set my sight upon them! " Alc responded to the monster's roar.

The hunter dashed again, relying on his healed muscle tissues to find more opportunities to settle this matter. Alc's sharp eyes amassed the information he had experienced with his body to find a lethal weak spot to end the hunt. But then, the survival instinct of the monster warned the whole body, covered in thick hide or not, that if the hunter hit them again, the fight could end soon.

So the void bull moved its whole body to parry Alc's deadly attacks.

The void bull parried exactly Alc's punches and kicks attempt as if in a mirror movement. One powerful punch deflected, two lethal kicks also returned, and then–

"DIEEE!" The hunter roared, which almost shook the entire cave.

Alc launched several quick punches toward the void bull's neck to end the deal. Thanks to its thick hide and skull, along with its obsidian horn, the beast clung to its life and parried everything that came before it. One wrong move and it'll be a defeat for the beast.

The hunter ended his consecutive quick punches with a one, strong arm launch, which repelled the void bull again, resulting in the monster taking a few steps back with its horn cracked. Alc watched the result of his attempt while catching his breath since he almost threw everything he had on the last attack.

Now that he used most of his stamina, he must find a way to win the battle or survive. 

Even the proud top hunter started to find a possibility that a tactical retreat would be necessary so his party wouldn't be wiped out in this dark, sorrowful cave.

Now, the void bull growled extra loud since it couldn't accept that something or someone had succeeded in cracking its almighty obsidian horns. Their cries even hurt Maya and Aslana's ears, forcing them to cover their ears forcefully.

Due to the confusion, the beast stepped quickly, got right in front of Alc in the blink of an eye, and readied its hoof to strike. It has used its void ability to erase the space and close the gap between the monster and the hunter as a surprise attack.

Its memory served that any foe it has faced has been astonished by this move, resulting in the void bull's triumph. A perfect move that no one was able to withstand.

The void bull struck the hunter from below and pulled its head upwards so that its horn slashed its opponent. Yet, Alc could read its movement and evade it with the distance of the cane's width. He countered it with a quick punch that moved the beast's head away.

But now Alc realized that because of his counterattack, he had no time to leap back to evade the beast's hoof on the way to hit his lateral side. He has no potion left, and to withstand this attack would be arduous, considering the prey hasn't been subjugated yet.

He moved his arms quickly to protect his body and minimize the damage. But it was too late–

"Hiyah!"

A sudden attack hit the void bull's hind legs, resulting in it not keeping its balance any further if the monster continued the attack. So, the beast stopped, and Alc could leap away to have a safe distance.

He glanced to check his wives's position. As far as he knew, both Aslana and Maya almost exhausted themselves so they couldn't move that fast. So, the one who hit the void bull's hind legs was–

It was the lion girl who claimed that she was unable to face anything which was not small. Her face was telling everyone that she was on the verge of crying.

"Clara?!" Her parents couldn't believe themselves to think that their daughter, who was firmly against hunting monsters, was there to rescue them.

"Catch this, mama!"

Clara threw a bag that sounded full of stuff made of glass. When Aslana caught it and checked its content, there were a lot of health potions, along with others such as stamina and mana potions. It was definitely a first-aid kit for the hunters.

"This is–"

"It's plenty for Mama, mama Aslana and Papa too!–aaAAaaAAAaAAA!"

Clara's instinct immediately told her that danger had come to her, so she dashed as fast as she could and barely avoided the void bull's hoof stomp that hit the cave wall.

Still, Clara couldn't land appropriately due to the panic of being hit by the monster. So, the void bull already prepared another attach to hit the unprepared lion girl directly.

"Clara!" her father shouted, ready to launch in any second to help his daughter in any way.

Something was moving behind Clara's head, shaped like a square thing that floated around. And then, it instantly emitted a light that could blind the world, especially for those who dwelled inside the darkness, such as a void bull.

It flinched and lost its direction, allowing Clara to slip away and let the monster hit its head first to the cave walls.

"Ah–thanks, Angga. It goes within our plan, but I still want to cry…"

Angga's camera was moving around Clara as if it told her it was alright as long as she was safe.

Maya quickly approached and hugged her daughter as if she was the most fragile glass in the whole world. But her muscle contraction said otherwise since Clara couldn't breathe between her mother's arms.

"Ma–mama, ugh. I can't… breathe."

She let go of Clara and looked at her dearly. "I'm overjoyed to see you here, Clara. Furthermore, you're bringing a lot of potions which are pretty useful for us. Thank you so much."

Aslana patted Clara's head. "Yeah, you're such a blessing for us."

"Hey."

Alc called everyone before him. Now he knew that one of his wives was called a help to Clara, who was firmly against hunting at that. Maya was lost for words but still hugged her daughter even though it wasn't that strong anymore.

The hunter finished drinking his potions and threw the bottle away somewhere in the cave. Most of his bruises and wounds were slowly gone, and his stamina returned. It was less effective than high-level healing spells, but it did what it needed.

"So you're the one who brought the potions, Clara? I thought you wouldn't come to places like this?" asked her father.

"That was–"

"I asked every one of our children to come, Alc. But Clara is the first to come."

Maya tried to defend her daughter, who was present, when Alc slowly closed his eyes to process the situation.

"So in the end, you would come at the source of danger which you're strongly despised, Clara. What's with this change of heart?" asked her father once again.

It was true. At first, Clara doubted herself so many times to the point that her hands were shaking. But, she was the type of when someone asked for her help, and she knew that the said party was in a pinch–

Especially from her own mother–

"You know very well that I could handle this with the help of Maya and Aslana alone, don't you?"

Clara couldn't believe what she had heard from her father after all she had done. She gritted her teeth, resolved herself to object to her father's world, so his words were not true–

The void bull instantly teleported behind Alc's back using its void ability and shoved its horn toward the hunter's head. It'll hit him in any second–

Until Alc punched the said obsidian horn, which made the beast sway away, slowly took control of himself and shook its head. When it did that, one of its horns crumbled away.

"I appreciate it very much, Clara. Thank you so much, my dear daughter."

"Ah–"

When she said something, Alc had already vanished and thrown punches harder than before towards the monster. Basically, Clara has brought regular potions for first-aid treatment, along with stamina and mana potions as complementary. Nothing has any effect to boost one's physical prowess to exceed what they normall could do.

But to fully recover, Alc's stamina could change the tide of the hunt. Especially when the void bull fatigued enough because of the non-stop fighting against the hunter for three days straight.

The hunter easily evaded everything that was thrown at him. Horn, strike, or hoof attacks were mostly either missed or parried with his claw gloves or with the help of his wives. Since Maya and Aslana's condition was pretty much the same as their husband's, they acted swiftly to make way for their husband by repelling any dangers.

They also did some diversion towards the void bull, so it was always off guard when Alc launched a heavy attack, resulting in more damage accumulated within its hide-covered body.

Clara saw everything that unfolded before her eyes. She knew her mother and Aslana were supposed to be his father's best helpers during the hunt. The memories of when she witnessed a hunt conducted by her parents were always the swift ones since most of them often killed their prey in a short time. So, a long battle scene perhaps was something she never witnessed.

It was something she would never see in any other groups of usual adventurers she could meet in Canau town. His father, along with his wives, definitely something on a different level.

So, is this how a top hunter fights? To easily shake the cave, where its dwellers are overwhelmed by its impactful punches and kicks. Not to mention how the said top hunter could fight without stopping for three days straight.

Maya and Aslana managed to bend the void bull's forelegs with their neatly coordinated kick, making it bend over a little. And then, Alc already prepared beneath its huge head.

"Eat this."

A beautiful, deadly uppercut was launched, making the beast whimper and fall while struggling to stand up again for the first time.

There was no need for Clara to fight when her parents were the ones who controlled the battlefield. Even fearful monsters, which took many lives of adventurers who happened to be curious and willingly gambled their lives, were just mere moving sand sacks without real threat.

"They were… really amazing…," commented the lion girl.

"Yeah. I see how powerful they are," replied Angga, around one kilometer away from the cave.